Rigorous Reading

Read through any current curriculum documents and you will find that the work expected of students is expressed using such academic terminology as describe, determine, develop, support and cite. Requirements such as these cannot be met via the comprehension-question worksheets and culminating quizzes that have long been the staples of literature guides designed for classroom use. The primary objective of those traditional activities was to make sure that students were keeping track of what was happening in the section of the novel that they had just read. Very little rigour and synthesis was asked of students – and usually none until the entire novel was read.

From a teacher’s standpoint, this style of classroom analysis misses multiple opportunities to delve deeply into the details that make a specific piece of literature a classic; from a student’s standpoint, this way to reflect on literature is monotonous and inflexible, and it fails to nurture the momentum experienced when one is invested in a compelling work of art. That is why the in-depth guides in the Rigorous Reading series aim to do much more: they aim to transform the reading of a great novel into a journey of discovery for students.

Instead of merely asking students what happened in any given section, this resource asks questions that require closer reading and deeper analysis – questions such as “Why did the author choose to include this information?” and “How does this information further the plot or offer more insight into the themes, characters, settings, etc.?” And instead of waiting until the end of the novel to put the pieces of the puzzle in place, students will learn to add to and alter their understanding of the novel as they are reading it. The various activities in this resource prompt students to consider and appreciate the many ingredients the author has combined to form the novel as a whole.

Transform the reading of a great novel into a journey of discovery. This customisable resource offers incredible flexibility as you share and explore great literature with your students. The guide is organised by literary elements and includes Teacher Instructions that provide activity overviews. Student activities feature text-dependent questions that encourage close analysis and call for evidence to support claims. This resource also includes suggestions for creating and maintaining Interactive Novel Logs to provide students with a place to connect with the literature in ways of their choosing. Pre- and Post-Reading activities are included as well as suggestions for pairing texts to expand the understanding of themes and topics.